Drag Race UK’s Blu Hydrangea and Tia Kofi help launch Meta Drag Show ‘Queens of the Metaverse’
"The possibilities are limitless".
Words: Emily Maskell; pictures: BBC and Attitude/Kit Oates
Queens of the Metaverse, the first mixed reality drag show, will see three aspiring British LGBTQ+ designers create showstopping metaverse drag looks using Meta’s VR and AR technologies.
The show will see Blu Hydrangea (winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. The World), Tia Kofi (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 2) and Adam All (one of the UK’s most prominent ‘Drag Kings’) appear as the headline drag acts of the show.
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The show will see drag meet Meta’s VR and AR technologies as the headline drag acts and design partners share details of their original bespoke looks in the virtual ‘Horizon Workrooms’, where the limits of the real world (like available materials) are non-existent.
The Meta’s virtual workspace will allow contestants to interact via VR headsets, sharing creative briefs and mood boards.
Designing for Blu Hydrangea is Nwora Emenike, a queer, non-binary stylist. Creating for Tia Kofi is Sal Mohammed, a queer, genderfluid NHS worker and life coach who has a passion for drag.
Designing for Adam All is Christie Lau, a non-binary Central Saint Martins graduate whose work blends physical and digital fashion.
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The digitally created garments are then made in real life and will be revealed at an upcoming event in London, hosted by Glow Up‘s Dominic Skinner and directed by London-based film director Matt Timmiss, this month.
Speaking about the fusion of technology and drag, Blu Hydrangea said: “Social media and new technologies allow us to make our drag bigger and better. The possibilities are limitless for creativity and our community.”
“The metaverse will be a new way to communicate with other queer artists and people around the world without being in the same room as them, which is amazing,” they continue.
“Hopefully the future of drag will see more inclusivity and I think technology like the metaverse could play a huge part in improving the visibility of inclusive queer spaces and creatives,” Adam All shared.
Queens of the Metaverse is set to launch this month, stay tuned for more details.
The Attitude September/October issue is out now.
